Range & Habitat
The hedgehog is found in a desert habitat in Southern Africa from Senegal to Sudan and Zambia.

Reproduction & Growth
Hedgehogs generally breed once or twice a year. They typically mate in rainy, warm seasons, usually between October and March when food is plentiful. Gestation lasts 35 days. The young are born with spines already present, but covered with a membrane. Within a few hours of birth this membrane dries up and the spines immediately start growing. The young are sexually mature around two months of age. They reach an average of 10 inches and weigh about 2 and a half pounds.

Diet: OmnivoreIn the Wild: Feeds primarily on spiders and insects, occasionally also consuming smalll amounts of plant matter or small vertebrates. They have been known to eat scorpions and small poisonous snakes with no ill effects. In the Zoo: mealworms, hedgehog chow, A/D wet dog food and fruits and veggies.

General Information
They are nocturnal animals, making nests in embankments, under root systems, in leaf piles, or under brush. Although they stick to the ground, hedgehogs are good climbers as well as good swimmers.